26/04/2025
We’re proud to celebrate COATS, recently named Charity of the Year at the Pride of Bracknell Awards. Their tireless work supporting older residents in Crowthorne shows exactly what community spirit should look like.
COATS knows all about giving back — and can do so better than any local authority, and certainly better than a Labour Council that believes spending £250,000 of Bracknell taxpayers' money on climate vanity projects is more important than supporting charities at home.
At the same time as celebrating local organisations, Labour-run Bracknell Forest Council voted to remove the 20% discretionary business rates relief for charities like COATS — adding unnecessary financial pressure when they should be backed, not burdened.
The so-called "saving" from this decision amounts to just £70,000 — a tiny sum in the council’s overall budget. Yet the impact on local charities could be devastating. Worse, the decision was made without full financial assessments on which organisations would be hardest hit, and with limited consultation. Even now, there is no clear hardship scheme in place to protect the charities most at risk.
Conservative councillors backed a formal challenge to Labour’s short-sighted policy. Sadly, Labour and others voted it down — allowing the decision to stand, despite serious concerns over how it was made.
A council that puts political ideology before the needs of the people it was elected to serve cannot expect to retain the confidence of local voters.
We will continue to stand up for transparency, fairness, and the vital community organisations that make Crowthorne such a special place to live.
